the end of a beginning
by xSummerSan
Summary: He never thought it would end like this. I didn't like the fact that Jack died, so here,


Jack was trembling, being held by the back of his collar by the redheaded Siren that he had captured to charge the Vault Key. The warrior had just been slayed by those goddamn Vault Hunters (how the HELL did they even fucking _do_ that?) and he was about to die. _Fucking dandy._

He heard the light clomping of boots and he slowly looked up, bearing the sight of the Commando's hardened expression. He bit his cheek hard enough to bleed, legs shaking as his knees threatened to buckle. Fuck. Fucking fuck.

Jack never thought it would end like this.

"This is it, Vault Hunters, either you kill Jack, or I'll kill 'im for you. What's it gonna be?" The Siren grunted, tugging on Jack's collar and making him hiss, a mixture of saliva and blood running out of the corner of his mouth. He snarled, a sound that was nearly inhuman, and fought against Lilith's grip. Jack was too weak, deep gashes riddling his body. The other three Vault Hunters stood behind the Commando, staring at his back and silently prompting him to kill this man-turned-monster. Axton sighed before turning to his teammates.

"All of you, go. Including you, Lilith. I'm going to finish this motherfucker off," he said loudly in that gruff voice. The voice that had once moaned Jack's name as he fucked up into the smaller man-  
No. He wasn't going there.

Lilith was about to protest before Axton shot her a pleading look that even a psycho could read. She shut her mouth and threw Jack to the ground, guiding the other Vault Hunters with a flick of her head. Reluctantly, they followed.

All except for Zer0.

The Assassin stood still in front of Axton, his head tipped up to gaze at him through the one-way helmet. Axton sighed and rubbed his temples, muttering something before giving him a firm look.

Zer0 didn't budge. Instead, he said, "I know all of your intentions. I know by your eyes that you are not going to kill that man." Axton was about to interrupt before the Assassin interrupted, "I do not care what happens to him as much as I do you. I have doubts that you can truly change Jack, but just remember, Axton. We are more than your teammates. We are your friends, and I shall try and see if I can control their strong feelings about this man."  
Before Axton could respond, Zer0 turned and walked off without a word. He waited until Zer0 disappeared until he turned to Jack, shaking his head. "You really fucked up this time, dude."

Jack ducked his head. "Aren't you going to do it, Axton?" He jerked his head up, blood-coated teeth bared in a snarl. "Fucking kill me. Finish me off like you said. Don't give me a fucking speech, just do it."

Axton said nothing.

Jack nearly screamed, his voice cracking and turning into a strangled squeak in the middle, "**DO IT**, AXTON!"

"No," Axton responded, his face and voice blank. Jack would have interrupted him, but he went on, "You know what, John? You don't wanna admit it, definitely to me, but you're scared. I made you lose your precious daughter, your chances of being a fuckin' God or whatever, and now you think I'm gonna steal your life. Well, too bad, because you're staying alive, John."

Jack seethed. "Don't. Call. Me. John."

"Will you shut your fuckin' mouth for TWO seconds, goddammit?!" Axton suddenly screamed at him, eyes wide in what seemed like a mix of fury and horror. "_This_ is why your daughter called you an asshole. _This_ is why we split. Because all you have left is your motherfuckin' ego, and you cling on desperately until you're killed. I'm restraining myself, John. I... I know you're in there..."

Axton suddenly fell to his knees, and Jack stared with wide eyes as Axton buried his face into his hands. "After Hyperion, you changed, John. You changed so much. At first I thought you were getting over the breakup, but when I saw you again... when I encountered you and you tried to murder me because I became a Vault Hunter... I realized I was wrong. You're a different person now. You're just letting all of that anger get the best of you, John. You lived with the false image of yourself after you went... here, with this fantasy world of becoming a hero. You know what, John-"

"I love you."

Axton went silent when Jack spoke, slowly looking up from his hands. Jack was staring at him with a painful expression on his face, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was still lying on his side from when Lilith threw him down.

"What...?"

"I love you. You heard me, Axton."

Jack clutched his hands together, his eyes squeezing shut as tears ran down his face. "I thought... I thought I could save everyone. I thought by leading the universe that I could prove everyone wrong. Make them pay. I... I even killed my goddamn daughter, Axton. I _killed my daughter_. And now... I've almost killed myself. I don't want it to end like this... fuck..."

Axton slowly moved forward and gathered the frail man into his arms. Jack only responded with a low whimper, shaking in his arms. "I knew you could do it, John. I knew that you were still in there." Jack let out a sudden sob after Axton spoke, letting out a choked noise from the back of his throat as he buried his face into the younger man's neck. Axton felt blood smear against his neck, but he didn't care. He had John back.

Axton reached up with the arm that cradled his back, loosening the metal that attached the mask to his face. He let it fall to the ground, hearing the fragile material shatter. Axton stared down at him- at how the pale skin differed from the rest of his body, the light wrinkles and worry lines, the scars, the blue tattoo across his face, and the milky white eye.

"I love you too, alright?" He murmured, taking a risk and pressing his lips to Jack's forehead. Jack suddenly reached an arm around his back, took his own gun, and tossed it into the lava, breathing hard.

"I won't need it," Jack whispered, and closed his eyes, letting a rare smile bloom on his face. Axton chuckled briefly and began to walk away, the thin form cradled in his arms.

"Hey, be gentle with the guy who almost died."

"Shut up, princess."


End file.
